SECRETARY'S REPORT. 201 



It should be borne in mind that while the increase in grain 

 and straw by the application of dry straw was as two to one, 

 the ratio of grain alone was as four to two, and also, that the 

 portion treated with straw thoroughly soaked in urine produced 

 both|||i grain and straw three times as much as that which 

 received only straw. 



I have thus far spoken only of the most common and abundant 

 source of manurial supply. There are others which, though 

 less abundant and imposing, are too valuable to be overlooked 

 or neglected. One of these, and the one which is most commonly 

 suffered to • go entirely to waste, is the droppings- from the 

 domestic fowls. 



How common it is for those who pass for good farmers to 

 neglect to make any suitable provision for their poultry. They 

 thus incur, to a large extent, the loss of that income which these 

 invariably return when well cared for, and the still greater loss 

 of their valuable manure ; and this, too, while sending money 

 abroad to purchase that which is so lavishly wasted at home. 



Having occasion, some time since, to call upon a farmer of 

 this class, I was informed that he had gone to the garden, which 

 was some eighty rods distant. Not perceiving any satisfactory 

 reason why the vegetable garden should be at such a distance, I 

 expressed surprise, and was informed that it was to escape the 

 depredations by the hens. Upon entering the barn I perceived 

 that their most common roosting place was upon the front of 

 the horse-manger, and their nightly droppings were worse than* 

 wasted. 



This may be thought an extreme case ; but has it not its 

 counterpart upon many a homestead, where we have a right to 

 expect better things ? 



From experience, I feel warranted in saying, that when proi> 

 erly fed and cared for, our domestic fowls not only cease to be 

 a source of vexation and waste, but will yield a direct profit in 

 eggs, and will also furnish a valuable auxiliary to our stock of 

 fertilizers. 



Having provided a suitable room for their occupancy, let the 

 floor beneath the roost be supplied with a few inches of earth, 

 or muck, and let a small quantity be added monthly during the 

 season. Early in the spring the mass should be thoroughly 

 mixed, with the addition of one bushel of plaster to ten of the 



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